Cotton planter and chopper



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I. L. LESTER & J. WHITTLY. COTTON PLANTBR AND SHOPPER.

N0. 390,241. P gtented Oct. 2, 1888.

W K r ab i N E T i I 1 R NA N, -L A 1 *i 1 J R N i t ERR Q5 .ia Ti Jl N 1 w N I 4; k r I h lm Linema (No Model.) v *2 Sheets-Sheet :2.

I. L. LESTER 8; J. WHITTLY.

OOTTON PLANTER AND CHOPPER.

NO. 390,241. I Patented Oct. 2, 1888.

7 I a J? W j;

.A Z I c SJ? 0 J" 11/ 0 f i I .I ZJ/IJI/ '1 if 6 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC L. LESTER AND JOSIAH \VHITTLY, OF WHITEHEAD, TEXAS.

COTTON PLANTER AND CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 390,241, dated'October 2, 1888 Application filed July 3, 1888. Serial No. 278,903. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ISAAC L. LESTER and J OSIAH WHITTLY, citizens of the United States, residing at WVhiteheadJn the county of Cherokee and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Cotton Planters and Choppers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improveinentiu combined cotton planters and choppers; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a combined cotton chopper and planter embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 isa vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on the line a: m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same, taken on the line 3/ y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view.

A represents a rectangular frame, which comprises a pair of side beams, 13, connected near their front ends by the cross-beam C,and connected near their rear ends by a crossbeam, D.

E represents ashaft, which is jourualed in the beams B, at a suitabledistance from the front end thereof, is provided with wheels F and G, which are of the same size, and has near its center a seedwheel, H, which is pro-' vided with serrated teeth I.

K represents a longitudinal beam, which connects the bars 0 and D, and is arranged at a suitable distance from the center of the frame. In that portion of the beam which is over the seedwheel is a vertical opening, in which is secured the lower end of the hopper L, the latter having a discharge-opening of suitable dimensionsinits lowerside,into which projects the upper side of the seed-wheel H. On the inner side of the wheel F is secured a gear-wheehM, which is provided with crownteeth.

N represents a pair of hounds, which pro ject forward from the beam 0, and between which is pivoted the rear end of a tongue or pole to which the draftauimals are hitched in the usual manner.

P representsa pair of furrow-openers,which are arranged in proximity to each other and have their upper ends provided with vertical slots R, and secured to the center of the beam 0, to the front side thereof, by means of clamping-bolts S, which work in the said slots and extend through the said beam.

T represents a pair of handles, which are similar to plow-handles, have theirfront ends secured to the outer sides of the beams B,and are supported in an inclined position by means of a pair of vertical standards, U, which extend from the rear end of the frame, and the said handles are connected together by means of a cross bar or rung, V, the ends of which pass through openings in the upper ends of the standards and in the handles.

V represents a lever, which has its front end pivoted to the under side of the cross-beam O, at a suitable distance from the center thereof, and has its rear end curved upward and supported on the rung or bar V, as shown. Projecting from one side of the lever W, near the front end thereof, is an arm, X, which is arranged in a horizontal plane.

On the front side of the beam 1D, near the center thereof, is secured a vertical guideway, Y, in which is arranged a vertically-movable plate, Z. Projecting from the upper side of the cross-bar D is a pair of ears, A, between which, on a suitable pivotal bolt, B, is fulcrumed a lever, O, the front end of which is provided with a hook that engages an opening in the upper end of the plate Z.

D represents a pair of arms, which project forward from the plate Z, diverge slightly at their outer ends, and are connected by means of asemicircular open cam, E. The said arms are arranged in ahorizontal plane and the said cam extends upward from the front ends there of, as shown. r

F represents a longitudinal shaft,which has its front end journaled loosely in a bearing arranged under the beam O, and has its rear port-ion passed through the open cam E, the extreme rear end of said shaft being journaled in an opening in the plate Z,whereby the said rear end of the shaft, together with the cam and the arms which carry it, may be raised or lowered by operating the lever 0, so as to raise or lower the plate Z, for the purpose to be hereinafter described. The front portion of the said shaft passes through an opening .which is made in the arm X, near the free end thereof, and on the said shaft is rigidly secured a pinion, G, which meshes with the crown-wheel M.

H represents a pair of spring bars or arms, which have their front ends secured to the rear side of the pinion G on diametrically-opposite sides thereof, and to the rear ends of the said spring bars or arms are secured a pair of S-shaped arms, 1,which are arranged substantially at right angles to the spring bars or arms, and have chopping-hoes K secured to their outer ends. The length of the spring bars or arms is such that the same, near their free ends, come into contact with the cam.

L represents a pair of curved plow-beams, which have hooks at their front ends that engage eycs or keepers on the center of the beam D, and said plow-beams are connected rigidly together by means of a crossbar, M.

To the lower rear ends of the plow-beams are secured cultivating shovels or coverers N", and projecting rearward from the center of the cross-bar M is a curved levei',(), by means of which the cultivating shovels or coverers may be caused to work in the ground at any desired depth.

1? represents a drivers seat, which may be employed when the machine is used for planting cotton, and is supported above the lever O and O by means of spring-arms It, which have their lower front ends rigidly secured to the beams B.

The operation of our invention is as follows: When the machine is used for planting cotton, the hopper is filled with cotton-seeds, and the lever NV is moved to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to cause its arm X to move the front end of the shaft F laterally a sufficient distance to cause the pinion G to be disengaged from the wheel M, and thereby cause the said pinion to remain at rest. As the machine advances, the wheels F and G rofate the shaft E and the seed-wheehwhich works in the hopper, and cause the said seedwheel to draw the cotton-seeds from the hopper and drop them into the furrow made by the furrow-openers. The plows, which are attached to the rear end of the frame, cover the seeds in the furrow. The furrow-openers, being vertically adjustable by reason of their slots R and the clamping bolts S, may be caused to open furrows of any desired depth. WVhen it is desired to use the machine for chopping cotton and cultivating the same, the furrow-openers are removed, the lever W is arranged in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1, so as to cause the arm X to move the shaft F, so as to engage the pinion G with the wheel M, and the lever G is operated so as to raise or lower the plate Z to the height necessary to cause the choppinghoes, to enter the ground to the desired depth. As the machine advances, the rotation of the wheel M causes accelerated rotary movement in the pinion G, and the spring arms, which are attached to said pinion, are caused to whirl with the shaft F. \Vhile each spring-arm in succession is describing the upper half of its or bit it is in engagement with the curved upper side of the cam, and is maintained with its free rear end at a considerable distance from the shaft, and as each spring-arm clears the lower side of the cam as it describes the lower half of its orbit it springs toward the shaft, and thereby causes the hoe attached thereto to engage the ground and enter the same in a manner very similar to the motion imparted to an ordinary hoe when manipulated by hand. As each hoe in succession enters the ground, it chops out the cotton-plants whlch are in its path, thereby leaving stands of cotton at suitable regular distances apart along the row. The shovels or plows which operate in rear of the machine serve to stir and pulverize the soil on both sides of the row of plants, and thereby cultivate and promote the growth of the same. v

Having thus described our invention, we claim-- 1. The combination, in a cotton-chopper,of the frame having the driving-wheel provided with the gear M, the cam supported the frame, the lodgitudinal shaft F, the pinion G on said shaft and engaging the wheel M, and the spring-arms having the hoes at their rear ends and having their front ends attached to the pinion, said spring-arms being adapted to engage the cam, for the purpose set forth,substantially as described.

2. The combination of the frame, the driving-shaft having the wheel M, the verticallymovable plate Z on the rear end of the frame, the shaft F, having its front end journaled to the frame and its rear end journaled in the plate Z, the cam supported by arms projecting from the said plate, the pinion on the shaft F and engaging the wheel M, and the springarms having their front ends secured to the pinion and having their rear ends provided with the chopping-hoes and adapted to engage the cam, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a cotton-chopper,of the frame, the driving-shaft having the wheel M, the longitudinal shaft F, arranged in the frame and having its front end laterally movable in its bearing, the cam arranged concentric withthe shaft F, the pinion on said shaft, and the spring-arms attached to the pinioi and having the chopping-hoes at their rear'end and adapted to engage the cam, andthe lever connected to the front end of the shaft F, to move the same laterally, so as to cause the pinion to engage or disengage the wheel M, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a cotton-chopper,of the frame, the driving-shaft journaled therein and having the wheel M, the vertically-movable plate Z at the rear end of the frame, and having the arms projecting forward therefrom, and the semicircular cam supported by said arms, the shaft F, having its rear end journaled in said plate and its front end laterally movable in its bearing, the pinion on said shaft, the springarms projecting rearward our own we have hereto allixed our signatufls from the pinion and having the chopping-hoes in presence of two wltnesses.

attached to their rear ends, the lever to raise his and lower the plate Z, and the laterallymova- ISAAC L. X LESTER- 5 ble lever WV, having the arm X at its front end engaging the front end of shaft FQwhereby JOSIAH WHI'ITLY.

the latter may be moved, so as to cause the mark pinion G to engage ordisengagethe wheel M, Witnesses:

substantially as described. H. DEOKARD,

to In testimony that we claim the foregoing as B. F. FLORENCE. 

